In previous years it was always possible to identify a clear leader, but this time the four main shows of the London Design Festival managed to focus on their own individual strengths, which turned the event into a real neck-and-neck race. We were there on your behalf and among other aspects took a look at the astonishingly numerous 'designer-makers' among the exhibitors.

The annual London Design Festival, now with over 300 city-wide events, reflects the British capital's status as an international creative hub. But it also provides a platform for scores of indigenous designer-makers – both individuals and brands – to exhibit their wide-ranging talents. Architonic takes a look at UK- and Irish-based designers who are doing it for themselves.

With Ireland long known for its craft tradition, contemporary Irish product design – shown here at the 'Vernacular' group show at Tent – displays a striking virtuosity of technique; photo Sophie Mutevelian

There is a corner of Europe that is, well, not mainland Europe. Creativity and endeavour have long ranked among the national characteristics of the British and Irish, and, in design terms, this has manifested itself time and time again in the phenomenon of the designer-maker. No surprise then to find this year’s edition of the international big-top event that is the London Design Festival playing host to a raft of smaller labels and one-man outfits who have their designerly and makerly stamp all over their work.

Be they emerging designers who are the sole agents of their designs’ fabrication, designers who bring skilled craft talent into their own workshops, or designers who retain full control of their brand by operating as both solo editor and production controller, these are creatives determined to be the authors of their own design destiny.

For a colourless, odourless gas, CO2 packs a punch. It now accounts for 76% of all greenhouse-gas emissions. So how do you communicate to a fair-going public the relative merits of different materials when it comes to carbon emissions? Materials Council shows how it's done.

Exhibition view of 'In the Scale of Carbon'

Visitors to this year's Super Brands London, however, were presented with a different take on magnitude as expert materials consultancy Materials Council’s latest exhibition ‘In the Scale of Carbon’ demonstrated how bigger can definitely be better.

With the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change set to meet in Sweden to thrash out a new report on global warming – one which is set, for the first time, to underscore unequivocally man’s role in increasing temperatures worldwide – never has it been more critical for creative professionals and manufacturers to understand truly the environmental cost and impact of the materials they use and specify.

Exhibition view of 'In the Scale of Carbon'

‘In the Scale of Carbon’ visualised in an arresting way the comparative volume of a range of materials often used in the building process in terms of how much of the stuff can be produced for one tonne of carbon-dioxide emissions. The physical scale of each of the cubes communicated strikingly the relative virtue (or not) of such materials as concrete, clay, steel, aluminium, rubber and hardwood. The bigger the cube (the largest topping two metres), the more bang for your CO2.

The slogan for this year's edition of the London Design Festival, 'Design is Everywhere', was no word of a lie. As a global design hub, it's only fitting that the British capital should pull out all the stops when it comes to its annual big-top design event. The 2013 programme, featuring over 300 exhibitions and events across the city, saw the key destinations 100% Design, Designjunction, Tent, Super Brands and Decorex joined by dozens of open showrooms, young-designer shows, and temporary landmark design projects, reflecting both the best of international creativity and impressive home-grown talent. For one week in September, design was everywhere and everywhere was design.

The Architonic team was on site to capture the best from the show floors for you. Enjoy!